Silent in the Trees
by Ilya Varlamov
Summary: Tori's life is not what it appears to be on the surface but Tyler can see beneath her disguise. Will she finally let someone know the real her? Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of the lyrics in this story / how the characters act what they do is purely fictional. Note: Inspired by Twenty One Pilots songs "Screen" and "Trees" Key words: Tyler Joseph, Josh Dun
1. Chapter 1

Sixteen year old Tori Nicole James sat in her AP math class Tuesday morning just waiting for the period to end. It was test day and she'd already finished… with 30 minutes to go. She sighed, staring at the clock. One row in front of her and one desk to her left, she noticed that another student was already done with his test as well. He'd been in several of her AP classes but she'd never spoken to him. She didn't even know his name. Bored out of her mind, she stared at him while day dreaming about something else. Feeling someone watching him, he looked over his right shoulder at her. When she realized she was staring at him, she looked away.

Pulling a notebook out of her backpack, Tori starting doodling on a blank page. She wrote Logan's name in purple ink and drew dozens of hearts around it. Logan had asked her out and they would be hanging out together for the first time after school that day. After occupying her mind with where they might go and what they might talk about, the bell finally rang.

"Easy, right?" the boy nearby asked her.

"What?"

"The test… easy, right?"

"Yeah." She smiled politely before walking away. She'd never heard him speak a word before unless forced to by a teacher. _Whatever_ , she thought. _I get to see Logan at lunch soon_!

***** Friday *****

Three weeks came and went and now 17 year old Tori was walking around the mall with her best friend, Jenna on a Friday evening.

"So, birthday girl, what are you and Logan doing tomorrow?"

"Just hanging out with a bunch of his friends. You wanna come?"

"Where?"

"Our spot in the woods," she smiled.

"Oooh! Are you finally gonna sleep with him?"

"I don't know… maybe."

"He's gonna think you're a prude if you don't give it up soon. You know he'll just find someone else."

"You think so? Like he'd just straight up ditch me and move on?" Jenna nodded. "I mean we haven't been seeing each other for very long at all."

"You know how guys are, Tori… all about getting in your pants!"

"Yeah. I guess."

"Maybe me and Braden will come."

"I thought he hated the jocks."

"Yeah but if there's gonna be alcohol and sex, he'll go," she chuckled. "We haven't done it in a few days so we're both like in heat!"

"Okay," Tori smiled. "I'd love to see you there."

"Cool!"

**** Saturday ****

Tori hadn't slept well Friday night. While she'd been tired enough, she couldn't turn her mind off enough to sleep. She tossed and turned and thought about what Jenna had said about Logan. They'd only really been dating for a little over three weeks. Would he really blow her off that quickly if she didn't give him what he wanted? Probably. But she wasn't sure she wanted to be with him in the first place.

Logan was gorgeous and he played first base on the varsity baseball team. Dozens of girls wanted him… and he basked in that knowledge. Tori was also beautiful… 5'7" tall, perfectly proportioned body, long blonde hair and a pretty face. She was on the varsity dance team and dozens of girls wanted _to_ _be_ her. Those who knew her at school thought she was perfect. Her family had money, she was an only child so she _must be_ spoiled… and guys _loved_ to look at her.

No one really knew her outside of school though. Even Jenna, her best friend, didn't know her whole story… and she preferred it that way.

After taking a nap in the early afternoon, Tori pulled on a cute pair of jeans and a sparkly butterfly tee shirt. She grabbed Logan's Underarmor sweatshirt and headed out to meet him when he pulled up in his truck.

"There's my birthday girl!"

"Here I am!" She leaned over and kissed him hello.

"You ready for an awesome night?"

"Yes! Jenna said she might come too."

"Cool."

Logan took hold of Tori's left hand and held it all the way to the dirt road that lead to their spot in the woods. They hopped out of the truck, grabbed the blankets he'd brought and headed up the path between the white birches that surrounded them.

"I love it out here," she smiled over at him and he smiled back.

"I know you do." After a 15 minute walk, they reached their spot. A few of their friends were already there and collecting sticks for a fire. Since they'd done this so many times before, they had a pit already enclosed by rocks waiting for them. Everyone greeted each other and started setting up tents.

"Are we staying overnight?" Tori asked.

"Yeah. I thought we talked about that."

"I highly doubt my parents will let me, Logan."

"So don't tell them. Tell 'em you're staying at Jenna's."

"I don't know about that."

"Why not?"

"I don't wanna get grounded or anything if they find out."

"Babe, you gotta quit worrying about all that kinda stuff. They won't find out… Live a little!" He pulled her close and rested his hands on her hips, looking into her eyes. "Besides, I want you to be here with me… Don't you wanna fall asleep together under the stars? And wake up together in the morning?" She thought about what he was saying and knew that her parents couldn't have actually cared less about where she was.

"Yeah," she smiled. "That sounds nice."

A couple of hours later when Jenna and Braden arrived, there were already dozens of empty beer cans surrounding the fire pit. A girl named Laura followed close behind them and Tori was less than thrilled to see her there. Laura was probably the hottest and most sought after girl at school and she'd only gone to their school for about two weeks. She was tall and thin and big-chested and _sexy as fuck_. Almost all the guys wanted her and she knew it. She and Logan were interested in each other and Tori was very aware of this. Now she felt like the pressure was really on to have sex with him even though she wasn't sure she was ready for that yet.

"What's _she_ doing here?" Jenna whispered to her as the guys all fawned over the newest arrival.

"Fucking everything up," Tori sighed.

"Well, we can just ignore her. Right?"

" _Nobody_ here will be ignoring her. Guaranteed." Logan saw the girls whispering about something and decided to remind them of his tipsy presence.

"What's up ladies?" He handed Tori another beer and smiled at her.

"Just chatting," she assured him. "Thanks babe."

"Well come hang out with everyone else." She felt better knowing that he was okay with Laura knowing he was already taken.

When midnight rolled around, Logan was pretty well trashed. He was mercilessly trying to get Tori out of her pants but this was not the way she wanted to consummate their relationship.

"What is your problem?" he finally snapped at her, drawing several pairs of eyes their way.

"Nothing! I just don't wanna do it in front of all your friends… and you're so wasted!"

"Tycen said you were too much of a goody-goody and he was right."

"Tycen doesn't know shit about me!"

"Whatever. I'm done." He walked away and proceeded to sit down next to Laura and sling his arm around her shoulders.

"I'm fucking done too," Tori snarled to herself. She took off Logan's sweatshirt and tossed it on the ground at his feet before taking a flashlight and walking away.

"Tori wait!" Jenna scurried after her. "Where are you going?"

"Home. I'll walk."

"Dude, that's like a 45 minute walk! And it's dark!"

"I'll be fine."

"Want us to give you a ride?"

"No thanks." Jenna finally gave up and let her storm away.

Tori reached the dark road and stopped to take a deep breath. A guy she dated for less than a month shouldn't matter. What really pissed her off is knowing that Tycen, who really _didn't_ know shit about her, talked to Logan about her. _How dare he_?!

As she began to calm down, she became more aware of being out in the pitch dark by herself over half an hour from home. She started hearing critters scurrying by in the woods as she walked along the shoulder of the road. A car flew by and she stepped into the dirt to avoid becoming road kill. "Asshole," she whispered to herself.

Several yards into the forest, she noticed a flickering light. _The smart thing to do_ , she thought _, would be to ignore it and keep walking_. However, curiosity got the best of her and she turned off her flashlight. Carefully and as quietly as possibly, she walked toward the light. When she got close enough to see what she was looking for, she stopped and peeked around from behind a tree. She saw the boy from her math class. He was sitting on a blanket and writing in a notebook by the light of an oil lamp. _What the hell is he doing? So weird_ … After a minute, he sang softly to himself: "I do not know… why I would go… in front of you and hide my soul…" He sang it a couple of different ways and she figured he was writing lyrics.

Feeling like she was invading his privacy (and being kinda creepy), she turned to leave. She found her way back to the road and resumed her original course toward home.

***** Sunday 10/16 *****

Sunday morning, Tori was awoken by the familiar sound of her parents arguing. It was the same thing almost every weekend. She rarely even saw or spoke to her parents and it was better that way. If she did have to deal with them, it was best to approach them separately. After hearing her mom yell " _go fuck yourself!_ " to her dad, she waited a few more minutes before going downstairs. She'd shoved a book, a notebook, some pens, a snack and a throw blanket into her pink and black backpack and headed out the door. She decided that she would take a page out of that AP math student's book and sit in the woods for a while. There must be something therapeutic about being alone with your thoughts away from the rest of the world.

Sitting on the blanket, she played her Imagine Dragons playlist on her phone quietly while she pulled out her notebook to write. Finding it too difficult to think of anything to write, she picked up her phone and scrolled through her Facebook page.

Meanwhile, she had no idea that she was not as alone as she'd thought. The boy from her math class made a habit of coming to this general area almost daily. He lived in the house right across the country road from here and frequently would come out here to think… and write and sing.

He followed the sound of the music and soon found her sitting in nearly the same spot he'd been sitting in last night. Like a deer in the headlights, he stopped dead in his tracks. He watched her every move as the gears in his head turned.

Tyler Joseph was also a junior at Tori's school. He did not run with the "it" crowd like Tori, Jenna and Logan did. Tyler was quiet and shy and awkward. He also was, however, incredibly intelligent and talented. He played multiple instruments, had written dozens of songs and had a beautiful voice. Most people didn't know these things about him since he kept to himself.

Like a lot of high school kids, Tyler had a best friend who he was close to. His friend's name was Josh and he played drums. They aspired to play live shows together and maybe even make a career out of music.

Lyrics were constructing themselves in his head when his train of thought was interrupted by Tori's phone ringing. She turned off the music and answered.

"Hey Jenna… Yeah I got home fine… I'm okay. Obviously he's not the guy for me. I'm not some whore like all the other girls he dates so whatever… No, I just wanna kinda be alone today… Okay. See you tomorrow." She hung up and stuffed her Android into her bag. Sitting back against a fallen log, she took a deep breath and just took in the silence around her.

Once Tori got up and packed up her bag a while later, Tyler slipped back through the trees and headed home. He didn't want her to see him and think he was some stalker freak. Most of the kids at school already thought he was a weirdo. No one ever took the time to talk to him and find out otherwise.

**** Monday 10/17 ****

Monday was a normal, boring day at school. Tori shoved her books into her locker at 3 o'clock and headed down to the gym for dance team practice. She walked past the band room and heard someone inside. She peeked in and stopped when she saw Tyler. He was singing that line again: "I do not… know why I would go… in front of you and hide my soul…"

"Hey Tori!" Another dance team member startled her.

"Oh hey Pennie."

"Whatcha looking at?" She too looked into the band room. "Oh _that_ dude. Yuck! Come on, let's go!" Pennie grabbed Tori's hand and dragged her into the gymnasium.

***** Friday 10/21 *****

The rest of the school week had its ups and downs. Tori got her math test back and, as per usual, got an A. She was getting A's in all of her classes except English. She used to get great grades on writing assignments but lately she hadn't been doing as well. She had to be inspired to write well and since Logan had ditched her, she'd lost a piece of her spark. He'd told all of his friends that he'd broken up with her because she refused to sleep with him but had also started rumors that she had slept with some of his friends. She was furious at him and it was distracting her.

Friday night, the dance team performed at halftime of the varsity football game. The girls piled on their makeup, pulled on their barely-there outfits and hit the field at 7:30pm. After their three dance routine, they bounded off the field while waving to the audience.

Avoiding going home, Tori opted to do the unthinkable and shower at school. She waited until the other girls had left before showering and putting her jeans and sweater back on. The rest of the team had gone back to the field to watch the game but Tori just wanted to be alone. Grabbing her purse, she headed down the hallway.

Looking into the band room as she'd done on Monday, she saw that Tyler was there again. He was sitting at the piano and scribbling in a notebook. He would play a few notes, sing a few words then furiously write on the pages of the tattered old notebook. He would cross things out and write new things every so often. Wanting to hear what he was singing, she stealthily opened the door just a crack. " _I know where you stand, silent in the trees. And that's where I am, silent in the trees_ …"

The more she listened to him, the more she loved what he'd written. She pulled out her phone and secretly recorded him.

"What are you doing?" a guy spoke from behind her, scaring the shit out of her and making her drop her phone.

"Nothing!" She bent down to pick up the phone and the battery that had fallen off the back of it. The guy walked past her and into the band room. Tyler had turned to see what was going on and saw her picking up her phone. Her face was red with embarrassment when her eyes met his. "Sorry." She scurried away as quickly as she could.

"What the hell was that about?"

"I have no idea, Josh. I was just working on this new song. What was she doing out there?"

"She had the door open and had her phone inside like she was taking pictures or something."

" _Of me_?"

"I guess. I don't know." Seeing a hint of a smile on his friend's face, Josh had to ask him. "Would that be a _good_ thing?"

"I don't know. What do you mean?"

"You _want_ her to like you?" Tyler shrugged, refusing to answer. "Dude, she's one of those snobby, popular girls that wouldn't look twice at guys like us. She probably thinks she's _so much better_ than us anyway. Screw girls like her."

Late that night, Tori was lying in bed repeatedly watching the 20 second video she'd captured in the band room that evening. The video itself was shaky and blurry but the sound of Tyler's voice was crisp and clear. She was curious about what else he had written and sang.

***** Saturday 10/22 *****

Unable to sleep that night, Tori got dressed and grabbed her things. She quietly crept downstairs around 2am. Her mother was passed out on the couch and her father's car wasn't there. She slipped out the door and headed toward her new sanctuary in the woods.

Tyler, also wide awake, had seen her walk into the woods. He was sitting on the porch of his house just looking up at the stars, contemplating life. He waited a few minutes then went into the forest in search of her. He soon found her snuggled up in a fluffy sweatshirt, sitting on her sleeping bag. She scrolled through Instagram while, unknowingly humming Tyler's tune. Taking his phone out of his pocket, he recorded her from the shadows. He shifted in his stance, inadvertently snapping a twig beneath his black boots. She looked up and looked around.

"Hello?" Her heart beat faster as scary scenarios played out in her head. "Hello?" She listened but didn't hear anything else until a deer came into view. She stayed as still as possible while she and the animal stared each other down. "It's okay," she spoke softly. Holding out her hand, she waited while the nervous doe cautiously approached her. Another twig snapped and the deer raced out of sight. "That was so cool," Tori smiled to herself.

**** Sunday 10/23 ****

Sunday afternoon, Josh went to Tyler's house to work on their latest song. Tyler was feverishly writing down lyrics when his friend walked into his room.

"Hey."

"Hey Josh!" The drummer could see how obviously excited the lyricist was.

"What's up?" he chuckled.

"I can't wait to run this all by you… Hang on."

"Tyler?" his mother called through his bedroom door. "I'm going to work. You boys need anything?"

"No thanks, Mom!"

"See you boys later." She left and Tyler finally turned toward Josh.

"I know I was supposed to finish that song, 'Ride' but I started writing this one last week and I think I got most of it."

"Which one?" He started playing it on his keyboard and Josh knew which one he meant. It was the one that he'd caught that cheerleader girl snooping in on.

" _I do not know… why I would go… in front of you and hide my soul. Cause you're the only one who knows it, yeah, you're the only one who knows it. And I will hide… behind my pride… don't know why I think I could lie. Cause there's a screen on my chest, yeah, there's a screen on my chest_ …"

"Screen?"

"Like I'm see-through. You know, wearing my heart on my sleeve…" Josh nodded in understanding and Tyler sang the next lines: " _I'm standing in front of you, I'm standing in front of you… I'm trying to be so cool, everything together, trying to be so cool_ …"

"I love it! But I gotta ask you… is it about that girl?"

"What girl?" he asked, playing dumb.

"The way-out-of-your-league cheerleader girl? That blonde chick?"

"No… I mean, I don't know." Josh rolled his eyes and Tyler felt the need to explain himself. "Look!" He pulled up the low-quality video he'd taken of her humming his tune. "That's _this_ song!"

"So?! Dude, she's _her_ and we're… We're _broken people_ and she's fucking perfect! At least I'm sure she thinks she is. Move on, man…"

"Josh, what if she's _just like us_? Maybe people don't get to know her like they don't bother getting to know us."

"Tyler, are you listening to yourself?! She's rich and popular and the fucking center of attention! There is no way she's _anything_ like us. If you're looking for a girl who will trample all over you in her Gucci boots or whatever, then she's probably it! Maybe that's what you want?" Josh realized that this was the dumbest argument in the universe so he stopped and took a deep breath. "Can we just work on 'Ride' some more?" Tyler nodded, feeling like an idiot. Josh was probably right. Tori was on a different planet than him.


	2. Chapter 2

***** Monday 10/24 *****

School felt like torture for Tori on Monday. She walked up to her locker at 7:47am and there was a huge note taped to the outside that simply read "whore" on it. She took it down and threw it out.

Between third and fourth periods, she passed Logan, Laura and some of his other friends in the hallway. "How come you fucked the entire baseball team except for Logan?" his friend grinned. "Are you embarrassed cause you're so loose now? Probably got every STD in the book, huh?" The group laughed and Tori kept walking. She didn't realize that Tyler was walking right behind her as they had English class together. She was the first one into the classroom.

"That was fucking mortifying," she sniffled to herself. Tyler was dying to say something nice to her but he had no idea what the right thing to say was. He waited a few seconds then walked into the classroom. He saw her quickly dry her face with her sleeve before she looked at him and half-smiled.

"Hey," he spoke shyly.

"Hey." They sat down and got ready for class while other students filed into the room.

Toward the end of the class, the teacher reminded them about a paper that was due on Wednesday. "Shit," Tori whispered to herself. Tyler overheard her and wondered if he could help her. The bell rang and most of the students hurried to get out the door. Tyler stayed behind and took a deep breath before speaking to her.

"Tori?"

"Yeah?"

"Hi. I'm Tyler… I'm in your math class."

"I know."

"Oh… Um, how is your paper coming along?"

"You mean the one I totally forgot about? I haven't even started it yet. I didn't even finish that stupid book yet."

"I could help you… I mean if you wanted."

"I don't know. I just wanna get through this crappy day and go home."

"I'm so sorry you're having a bad day." She stopped stuffing her things in her bag and finally looked at him.

"Thank you." He smiled warmly at her then walked away.

Spending the remainder of the day worrying about the paper she hadn't started yet, Tori was distracted. Fortunately she didn't have to deal with Logan or any of his buddies again that day. She knew that she should skip dance practice and go finish that book but she also knew that, if she did, she'd never hear the end of it from her coach.

As soon as practice was over, she went to the band room hoping to find Tyler. If he could tell her how the rest of the book went and she could skip reading it, it would save her a ton of time. She looked inside and saw him. Knocking lightly on the door, she waited for him to invite her in. When he saw her through the widow, he sprang to his feet and went to open the door for her.

"Hey!" he smiled.

"Hi. Sorry to bother you… I wondered if you had some time today to talk about that book?"

"Really? Yeah, absolutely!" Josh, with his always impeccable timing, walked into the room. They looked at him and waited for him to say something.

"Look, I don't know your name but we're _trying_ to work here." The venom in his voice was obvious and he didn't care. She'd had enough drama for the day so she didn't fight back.

"Okay. Sorry to bug you Tyler." She hurriedly left the room.

"Dude!" Tyler gawked. "What the hell?!"

"What?"

"I was gonna help her with her English paper!"

"So?"

"So she had a really shitty day and we were just talking then you had to come in and make her feel even shittier! Not cool, man."

"Sorry Ty," he raised his hands in surrender. This was the first time that Josh realized that Tyler might _genuinely_ like this girl. He was still 99% sure that Ty had zero chance with her and she would probably break his heart if given the chance… but maybe he would just have to let him figure that out for himself.

**** Thursday 10/27 ****

Tori turned in her half-hearted attempt at her English paper on Wednesday. At this point, she really just wanted a C in that class for the term. She really didn't give a shit right now. Thursday and Friday were statewide inservice days so everyone would have a four day weekend… and she really needed that right now.

Late Thursday morning, she packed her things and headed toward her spot in the woods. When she reached the point on the road where she usually crossed to head into the woods, she stopped and looked at the big farmhouse before her. She could hear keyboard music coming from an open window and it sounded familiar. She walked closer to the house and listened. Then she heard him sing. " _I'm standing in front of you. I'm standing in front of you. I'm trying to be so cool, everything together, trying to be so cool_ …" She heard him rapping a verse that she couldn't really understand the words to but it sounded so cool. " _While you're doing fine, there's some people and I who have a really tough time getting through this life so excuse us while we sing to the sky_ …"

Walking quietly up onto the porch, she tried to get as close as she could to listen in. " _We're broken, we're broken, we're broken, we're broken people_ …" Suddenly Tyler's mother opened the door startling her.

"Can I help you sweetie?"

"Sorry!"

"Are you a friend of Tyler's?"

"Um…"

"Well come on in! He's just upstairs working on his music."

"I don't really think I should…"

"Nonsense!" Tyler's mother had never heard him mention a girl and she'd actually been kind of concerned that he'd never even dare to speak to one. The realization that this beautiful girl was here because of her son made her _so happy_. She put her hand on Tori's back and coerced her into the house. "Tyler!" She called up the stairway to him.

"Yeah?"

"Someone's here to see you!"

"Be right there!" Tori stood nervously waiting for him. She had no idea what to say to him or what he might say to her. _This is crazy_!

"I should probably go," she said nervously to his mother. "I mean I don't wanna distract him from writing." He came down the stairs and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her.

"Tori… Hello."

"I'm so sorry to bug you… I just heard you singing…"

"No, not at all! I mean you're not bugging me at all!"

"I'll leave you two kids alone," his mother smiled and left the entryway.

"Um… why don't you come upstairs? Wait… can you give me a minute to make sure my room's clean enough?"

"I shouldn't even be here." She turned toward the door and he stopped her.

"Tori, wait! Just come in for a minute… If you still wanna leave in a minute, I get it." He held his hand out to her, praying to God that she would just give him a few minutes to prove that he's not the weird, creepy kid everyone took him for. She warily slipped her hand into his and followed him up the stairs to his room. She saw Josh and wanted to turn and run away. Josh sprung from his seat and closed the bedroom door, holding her captive. "Don't be a dick, Josh," Tyler begged him.

"I should go," she said softly, unable to look either of them in the face anymore.

"What are you doing here?" Josh inquired.

"I just heard the music… that's all."

"Why can't you look at me? You're acting all weird." She finally gathered the courage to look into his eyes and spoke:

"I don't know why you hate me and treat me the way you do. What the hell did I ever do to you?"

"What do you mean the way I treat you? What have _I_ ever done to _you_?!"

"You always treat me like shit! You talk to me like I'm dirt and you're the king of the fucking world!" Tyler was slowly dying inside listening to this. Josh _was_ mean to her and for absolutely no founded reason.

"You're the one who thinks she's better than everyone else! Miss Popular! Miss Perfect. Miss fucks-every-athlete-at-school!"

"I'm a fucking virgin!" she blurted out. She looked at Josh then at Tyler before her tears emerged.

" _What_?" Josh was shocked. He could tell that she was telling the truth but he had been _sure_ that the rumors were true. She went to open the door to leave and he stopped her again. "Wait..."

"Why? You're not done humiliating me?" she sobbed. Tyler grabbed a box of tissue of his desk and held it out to her. She took a couple and tried to compose herself. Josh was still figuring out how to respond when Tyler's mom knocked on the bedroom door. Tori stepped aside and Josh opened the door.

"I brought you guys some hot chocolate," she smiled proudly. "And extra marshmallows like you like, Joshua."

"Thanks."

"Thanks mom."

"Oh, sweetie," she said, seeing Tori's tear-streaked face. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "Just a rough week this week. I was just venting."

"Okay. Well I'm going to run to the store. I'll be back soon." She left and they went back to their moment of uncomfortable silence. Tyler handed her a cup of cocoa and she accepted.

"Tori," Josh began. "I'm sorry I was such a jerk. I guess I assumed that what I'd heard was true."

"Yeah well that was stupid," she sniffled.

"I know. And again, I'm sorry."

"Can I take your jacket?" Tyler offered. She figured that she would stay for just a few minutes so she let him take her coat.

"I think I'll take off so you guys can talk. Clearly I've said enough," Josh chuckled. Tori didn't say anything else to him. Tyler walked him down to the front door and Tori sat on the edge of the bed to wait for him to come back. She looked around his room. There were dozens of notebooks, two keyboards, two guitars, a ukulele, a small drum set, his bed, a desk and a night stand. The open sliding door on his closet revealed almost nothing but black clothing. He returned to the room and shut the door behind him.

"I'm _really_ sorry about him."

"It's okay. It's probably what everyone else thinks about me too."

"I don't think that stuff about you." She looked into his eyes and saw his sincerity. "I know better. I think you're a lot like me."

"You do?" He nodded. "How so?"

"I don't think that anyone gets to know you before they judge you. Maybe everyone goes through that, I don't know. But it's like no one bothers to talk to anyone before they decide what they think about them. It's really messed up if you think about it."

"Like we all assume like Josh did? My parents have money so I must be spoiled and happy?"

"Just like me… I keep to myself so I must be some kind of freak with no social skills."

"They don't know how smart and talented you are." She fidgeted with the mug of cocoa in her hands while she spoke to him.

"Me?"

"Yeah… I heard you singing a few times and I know you write your own stuff. And you're in all AP classes…" He had no idea what to say back.

"Can I tell you what part of Josh's problem is?" She sipped her drink and nodded. "He had a thing for your friend Jenna and she shot him down… hard. Told him there's no way in hell she'd ever go out with a loser like him."

"So he thinks I'm like that too?"

"Yeah. He thinks all popular girls are snobby like that."

"Can I ask you something, Tyler?"

"Anything."

"I can trust you right? I mean I don't talk to anyone about anything… I mean I don't talk to anyone about anything that's _real_ , not even Jenna."

"You can trust me, I swear."

"Okay… Jenna's a shitty person and Josh can do better. She would date him just to hurt him. It would be funny to her."

"Wow… How come you guys are still friends then?"

"Cause she doesn't push me to tell her anything. She doesn't really know anything about me and she doesn't care."

"Don't you wish she cared?"

"No."

"What doesn't she know about you?"

"Everything. Who I am. What matters to me. What my life at home is like…"

"What's it like? At home?"

"Tyler, I don't talk to _anyone_ …"

"You can talk to _me_." She thought about it for a minute. It would feel _so good_ to get things off her chest and have a confidant in this world. "I wanna know you."

"Well… my mom is a raging drunk. I find her passed out all over the house all the time. My dad has at least two or three girlfriends on the side… my brother killed himself two years ago when he was 18… I haven't sat down to a meal with a family member in years. They don't care where I am, what I do, who I'm with… they don't care if I come home at night. They don't even know when I'm home and when I'm not. They just _don't care_. And I'm sure you've heard the rumors about me at school… I can't escape them."

"Shit, Tori… I'm _so sorry_." He grasped her hand and she allowed it, enjoying his warmth.

"It's okay. That's my life, you know? What can I do?" He had no idea what to say next. All he wanted was to comfort her but he didn't know how.

"I've seen you in the woods," he spoke.

"You have?"

"Yeah. The night you saw the deer… I saw you."

"Like… you were watching me?"

"Would it freak you out too much if I said yes?" She pulled her hand away from his and shrugged. Part of her was a _little_ weirded out that he'd been watching her but another part of her thought it was kind of sweet. It was her turn to confess.

"I've seen you in the woods too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. That's why I started hanging out there. You looked so peaceful while you were there. I thought maybe I would feel that way too."

"Did you?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "I kinda did." He smiled back and this was the first time she noticed what a beautiful smile he had. She'd never looked at him as _a_ _guy_ before… He was actually a good looking guy. He had beautiful skin for a 17 year old, his lips were full and soft and there was a kindness in his dark eyes that was _so endearing_. His palms began to sweat the longer she looked into his eyes.

"Tori, I…"

"Yeah?"

"Are you planning to go to the homecoming dance?"

"Tyler!" his mom called up the stairs to him startling both himself and Tori. He went to his door and opened it.

"Yeah?" he called back with a hint of irritation in his voice.

"I'm back, honey."

"Okay mom!" He rolled his eyes and shut the door. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I should probably go." She stood up and began putting her jacket on. He in no way wanted her to go but he had no clue what to say right now. _I'm a lyricist and I have no words… shit_! "I'll see you Monday."

"Bye Tori." He watched out the window and saw her walk across the street and into the woods. He was dying to follow but wasn't sure if he should or not. Instead, he decided to call Josh.

"What's up?"

"I need your help… We gotta finish this song and practice the hell out of it…"

"Which one?"

"Screen."

"Sure man. Just tell me when."

***** Friday 10/28 *****

Friday afternoon, Lexi and Amanda from the dance team drove to Tori's house to pick her up. They decided that an afternoon at the mall sounded good. They would dance at the football game that night then have the rest of the weekend to themselves.

"Are your parents home?" Lexi asked when Tori answered the door.

"Nope. You ladies wanna come in?"

"Yeah. You got any liquor?"

"Tons," Tori chuckled. They had no idea just how much alcohol was stashed throughout this house.

"Can we have some?"

"Who's driving?"

"I'm driving," Amanda announced. "One drink won't mess me up." Tori's two guests walked into the kitchen and began looking through the cupboards.

"Bacardi and pineapple juice?" Tori offered and the girls accepted. She mixed them herself, keeping the amount of rum in each glass to a minimum. Rain began to pour outside the windows as they talked.

"Can I smoke here?" Lexi queried.

"Yeah in the garage."

Twenty minutes later, after they had all touched up their makeup and hair in the downstairs bathroom, the girls hit the road in Amanda's car. Pulling out of the driveway with Tori in the back seat, they turned left onto the country road that Tyler lives on. She caught herself smiling up at his bedroom window as they drove by. A mile up the road, Lexi spotted two boys walking.

"Dude is that those two losers from school? Josh and… whatever his name is?"

"Oh I think it is! I recognize that stupid backpack." Amanda sped up and Tori's heart raced.

"Don't hit them!"

"Not gonna!" She sped through a newly formed puddle and completely soaked the pedestrians. Lexi rolled down her window once Amanda stopped the car.

"Sorry losers!" The girls in the front seat laughed as they started up the street again.

"Fuck you!" They heard Josh yell after them.

"That was so messed up! Stop the car," Tori asked. "Stop the car, Amanda!" Amanda stopped and turned to look at Tori.

"What is your problem?!"

"That was really shitty."

"So? Who cares about those lame asses?"

"I do." Tori stepped out of the car and slammed the door shut.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lexi called to her.

"Let her go," Amanda said, screeching the tires as she sped away from Tori leaving her standing in the rain. She could see the guys about 100 yards down the road and she walked toward them. When Tyler realized that it was her walking toward them, his heart rate increased.

"It's Tori!" he said to Josh. His friend rolled his eyes but didn't say anything back. He wasn't yet convinced that she was not the enemy. "Tori, what are you doing here?" he asked when they finally reached each other.

"I'm so sorry she did that to you guys."

"It's okay, it's not your fault," Tyler assured her.

"It _wasn't_ your fault, right?"

"Josh, I'm standing here with you in the pouring rain rather than going to the mall with those bitches… I had _nothing_ to do with it!"

"Give her a break, man."

"Okay."

"Where are you guys going?"

"We were just walking to the store for some snacks. I didn't realize the sky was gonna open up on us like this."

"Can I go with you?"

"Yeah, of course!" Tyler replied without Josh's input.

"Is it okay with you, Josh?" she asked, granting him the opportunity to protest if he really wanted to." He looked at her then at Tyler who pleaded with his eyes to let her join them.

"Yeah. Let's go. My feet aren't getting any drier."


	3. Chapter 3

Once they reached Tyler's house, they peeled off their outer layers of clothing and threw hung them up in the upstairs bathroom. They pulled off their shoes and socks and laid them out to dry as well. Josh borrowed a pair or Tyler's pants and went to put them on in the bathroom.

"You want a dry pair of sweats or something to put on?" Tyler asked her as he peeled his wet tee shirt off and reached into his closet for a new one. He hadn't even thought twice about taking his shirt off in front of her until he turned back toward her and saw her staring. He quickly pulled his Fall Out Boy shirt on and his face turned red. "Sorry."

"It's okay," she blushed and looked away.

"You want some dry pants?" He pulled a pair of black sweatpants out of a drawer and held them up for her. "I have these."

"Um sure. Thanks." When Josh came back, she went to change out of her wet pants as well.

"Is she gonna be here all day?"

"I don't know…"

"Awesome."

"Can you _please_ be nice to her? I don't _ever_ want a girl to come between us, Josh but this is not _just some girl_."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah. I am."

"Okay," he sighed. "I will give her a chance… but she better not be anything like that bitch of a best friend of hers…"

"She's not." Tori came back into the room and shut the door behind her.

"Thanks for the dry clothes, Tyler," she smiled at him.

"Yeah, of course. I got socks too if your feet are cold."

"Sure. Thanks."

"Black nail polish?" Josh noticed.

"Yep."

"Nice." He smiled at her for the first time and she smiled back. "You mind if we practice?"

"Are you kidding? I'd love to hear it."

"Cool. Can we run through Ride, Ty?" He nodded and they sat down to begin. Tori sat at the head of his bed and couldn't wait to hear what they'd been working on.

As the guys practiced a couple of their songs, Josh observed the way Tori looked at Tyler. She hardly took her eyes off of him and she smiled as she watched him. Tyler looked at her during pause in the lyrics and they smiled warmly at each other. This was when Josh's opinion of her began to change. Maybe she _wasn't_ like Jenna. It was possible that he'd been wrong about her after all.

The three of them watched a movie together then Tyler's mother gave Tori a ride home that night. Josh was spending the night at his friend's house. They laid awake in his dark bedroom talking around 1am.

"So I guess Tori's not the devil," Josh chuckled.

"Ya think?"

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna tell you something that I'm not sure I should tell you…"

"Uh oh…"

"I told Tori about what Jenna said to you when you asked her out."

"Dude! What the fuck?!"

"No, listen to me! You wanna know what she said to me when I told her that?"

"That I was an idiot to ever say anything?"

"No… she said you're too good for Jenna and you can do so much better."

"Bullshit."

"Josh, she said that… and she meant it."

"Are you fucking with me?"

"No. Not at all… Tori is not like Jenna and those other girls. Her life at home is hell and she is not the spoiled, privileged girl you think she is." Tyler sat up in bed and turned the lamp on. Josh sat up on the blow-up mattress on the floor and faced his friend. "She just wants to be normal… and she can't be."

"Why not?"

"You've heard the rumors at school. That asshole Logan and his friends are relentless… Her parents don't give a shit about her. She's hurting and has nowhere to turn. She doesn't trust anybody or have any real friends… but _she trusts me_. And I don't wanna do anything to risk losing that trust. Everybody needs at least one person they can trust." Josh nodded in understanding.

"Okay. I will trust your judgement here and like I said earlier, I'll give her a chance."

"Thank you."

**** Monday 10/31 ****

Monday was Halloween but other than having bowls of candy in most of the classrooms, it was just another Monday. The rumor mill was slowly starting to dissipate so the hallways at school weren't so torturous for Tori anymore.

"Hey Tori!" One of the wide receivers from the JV football team approached her as she put her books in her locker at the end of the day.

"Hey Anthony. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you had a date to homecoming on Friday yet. I mean I'm sure you do but…"

"I don't," she smiled.

"Oh," he smiled back. "Would you go with me?"

"Really?" He nodded proudly. "Um yeah."

"You will?"

"Yeah."

"Awesome! I'll make some arrangements and talk to you about it tomorrow?"

"Sure. Thanks Anthony."

"I can't wait! See you tomorrow!"

"Bye."

Tori walked toward her car thinking about her homecoming dance date. He was tall and buff and blonde… a lot of girls would love to be his date. But Tori wasn't like a lot of girls. It didn't matter to her what other people thought of who she dated. She learned a valuable lesson from her short "relationship" with Logan. Who you choose to spend time with and share pieces of your life with should have nothing to do with who you look good with. It has nothing to do with who other people think you should date. There's not some dating hierarchy where you only date people who are in your same "class" or other ranking system.

"Watch it!" Tori looked up after almost being run over by a speeding driver in the parking lot.

"Shit!" She stepped out of the way and the driver rolled by.

"Watch where you're going, whore!" It was Laura and some new boy toy was in her passenger seat. Logan saw her and ran up to her.

"Hey! Are you okay?"

"Go away, Logan." He followed her to her car.

"Can I just talk to you for a second?"

"I don't wanna talk to you."

"Listen, I just wanna tell you I'm sorry. I know I was an ass and my friends have been totally out of line with you."

"You're close… but being an ass is not past-tense for you." They reached her car and she unlocked the door, still refusing to stop and listen.

"I'm trying to apologize! Will you stop and look at me for a minute?!"

"Hey!" Tyler walked up to them. "Everything okay?"

"Who the hell are you?" Logan asked.

"I gotta go, Logan. Tyler, you want a ride?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Logan backed away without an answer and watched them drive away. Once they were out of the parking lot, Tyler spoke.

"Are you okay?" She nodded and the rest of the ride to his house was silent. She pulled into his driveway 15 minutes later and turned the car off. "I hope I didn't make it worse."

"What?"

"Whatever Logan's problem is… I hope I didn't make it worse."

"No! You didn't. I can't imagine you every making anything worse." They looked at each other and the moment became something _more_. "I just mean that you make things better… not worse."

"Tori?"

"Yeah?"

"I've never gone to a school dance in my life and I never imagined I'd want to…"

"And?"

"Would you go with me Friday?"

"Really?" He nodded and waited anxiously for her answer. "I already told Anthony I'd go with him…"

"Oh, okay… No worries then."

"But I'd _much_ rather go with you."

"You would?" She nodded and smiled. "Are you sure?"

"I am."

"Awesome," he let out a sigh of relief. "I am riding there with Josh cause we got something going on before but will you meet me there? I mean is that okay?"

"Yeah. Totally."

"Great."

"Maybe I should give you my phone number, Tyler… you know just to have." He happily dug his phone out of his backpack and handed it to her. She entered her name and number. "Text me and I'll have yours too."

"I will. Thanks for the ride."

"See you tomorrow." He got out and she watched him walk up the stairs and into the house. "Shit," she whispered to herself. "I have to tell Anthony…"


	4. Chapter 4

**** Friday 11/4 ****

Anthony had taken it well on Tuesday when Tori told him that she couldn't go to the dance with him. She didn't tell him why and it was really none of his business.

Friday evening, Jenna and Tori talked on the phone before getting ready for the dance. The two hadn't spoken much this week since Jenna had started dating someone new and they had barely spent two seconds apart.

"So you haven't told me who you're going with yet!"

"I'm meeting Tyler there."

"Who?"

"Tyler… the song-writer guy I told you about?"

"Josh's friend?"

"Yeah."

"Gross! Why the hell are you going with that loser?"

"He's not a loser! He's really cool, Jenna. I think if you gave both of them a chance, you'd see that they're good guys."

"You could have any guy at school you want, Tori… Logan, Anthony, that hot guy from the swim team… but you choose Tyler? Why?"

"Tyler _knows me_ … the real me. And I trust him and _I like him_."

"I hope you're doing the right thing here. You know you're gonna get ridiculed like hell after people see you two together."

"I guess so… but not by you, right?" She was nervous about the length of time it took for her to answer:

"Not by me. Look Tori, I know I was a total bitch to Josh that time he asked me out… And I was wrong. You know I'm not like Amber and Lexi and Stephanie… and I know you're not like them either. They're shitty people."

"Having your support would mean a lot to me. Just have my back… don't let them make you talk smack about me, okay? I don't give a shit what they say just please don't be one of them."

"I promise, Tori."

The girls got off the phone and finished getting ready for the dance. Tori knew that the girls on the dance team were going to tease her mercilessly but she knew she could handle it. She was more worried about Tyler than herself. She didn't know him well enough to know how he'd handle all the bullshit they were bound to hear after tonight.

Arriving at the school, Tori spotted Jenna getting out of her new boyfriend's car. She recognized him as the president of the robotics team. He was certainly not someone Jenna would have ever been seen in public with a month ago. Tori smiled to herself, _maybe we're finally growing up and realizing what's important_.

"Jenna!" she called to her as she approached. "Hi guys!"

"Tori!" The two girls hugged. "Tori, this is Shawn. Shawn, this is my BFF Tori."

"Nice to meet you Tori."

"You too Shawn!"

"Where's your date?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm meeting him here."

"Well, let me escort both of you lovely ladies inside then!" The three of them walked inside together while chatting about the evening. "You guys want a drink? I'll go get them."

"Sure. Thanks babe."

"Thanks Shawn." After he was out of earshot, Tori leaned in close to Jenna. "Oh my god, Jenna, he's so nice!"

"Right?! I mean, he's obviously not the kind of guy I'd normally go for but he is so sweet and thoughtful… and not a man-whore!"

"That's awesome!" Tori laughed. "I like him so far."

"Yeah… Me too. Where is Tyler?"

"I don't know." She looked around but still didn't see him.

"What time is he supposed to meet you?"

"I guess we didn't say exactly what time."

"Soon, I hope. Do you think Josh will come with him?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"I'm gonna apologize to him. Do you think he'll be okay?"

"I think that would be awesome, Jenna."

"Oh… I think I see them!" Tori turned to look where Jenna was looking. Tyler and Josh were both wearing black suits. Tyler also wore a white shirt and a black tie while Josh donned a black shirt and black bowtie. They finally spotted her and Tyler's world slowed to a crawl. He felt like he would never reach her through the sea of students but he finally met her.

"Hello Tori."

"Hi Tyler. You look… so handsome. Both of you." She smiled at him then at Josh.

"Thanks Tori." Josh looked at Jenna and the smile immediately left his face. He turned to walk away but she stopped him.

"Josh please… Can we talk for a sec?"

"What do you want?"

"I wanna apologize… for how I treated you." He finally allowed her to talk to him and Tyler guided Tori away from them.

"Tori, you look so beautiful. The blue in your dress makes your eyes even more incredible than usual." She smiled, suddenly wanting nothing more than to kiss him.

"You're so sweet Tyler."

"Listen, Josh and I have something to do right now… Can you do me a favor?" She nodded, willing to do anything he asked at this moment. "I need you to be in front of the stage in about 10 minutes. Will you be there?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Okay. I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Okay."

Jenna and Shawn caught up to Tori as she approached the front of the stage. He handed Tori a drink and she thanked him.

"So? How'd it go with Josh?"

"I think it went well. I apologized for being awful and he said it's okay…"

"Good."

"So what are we doing now? Where'd Tyler disappear to?"

"I don't know. He asked me to meet him here… So I guess I'm just waiting!" They talked for a few more minutes before Jenna pointed up to the stage. Tori looked up. "Tyler!" He smiled down at her and spoke into the microphone.

"Good evening, Jameson High students. My name's Tyler and this is my buddy Josh… We wrote a couple of songs that we're gonna play for you tonight. Hope you all enjoy…" Tori couldn't stop grinning as she watched them. " _I just wanna stay in the sun where I find, I know it's hard sometimes. Pieces of peace in sun's piece of mind, I know it's hard sometimes. Yeah I think about the end just way too much but it's fun to fantasize. All my enemies wouldn't wish who I was but it's fun to fantasize. Oh-whoa-whoa, oh-whoa-whoa I'm falling so I'm taking my time on my ride… Taking my time on my ride. I'd die for you, that's easy to say. We have a list of people that we would take a bullet for them a bullet for you a bullet for everybody in this room but I don't seem to see many bullets coming through… see many bullets coming through. Metaphorically I'm the man but literally I don't know what I'd do… I been thinking too much, help me. I been thinking too much, help me. I been thinking too much, help me_ …" The students applauded and Tori couldn't wait to hear what was next. She hoped it had been the song that she'd heard him work on. "This next one was inspired by someone who means more to me than she may realize." He looked directly down into Tori's eyes as he spoke. "This one's called Screen." He started playing the ukulele and she tuned out the rest of the world just listening to the notes and to his beautiful voice. " _I do not know why I would go in front of you and hide my soul… cause you're the only one who knows it. Yeah, you're the only one who knows it. And I will hide behind my pride, I don't know why I think I could lie cause there's a screen on my chest. Yeah, there's a screen on my chest. I'm standing in front of you, I'm standing in front of you. I'm trying to be so cool, everything together, trying to be so cool_ …" Jenna looked at Tori and could see the mist in her eyes. Her friend was in deeper than she could have imagined. " _We're broken, we're broken, we're broken, we're broken people… we're broken people, yeah_ …" Again the applause and Josh got up to leave the stage. "Thank you all. I was gonna leave it at that but I just gotta sing a piece of one more… and Tori, it's solely for you. Would you come up here?" Jenna patted her on the back and grinned at her.

"Go up there, girl!" She stood on the stage with him and waited. Her heart pounded and she was scared to death to have all eyes on them but she was so excited to hear what else he had for her. He performed a'capella and sounded amazing.

" _I know where you stand, silent in the trees. And that's where I am, silent in the trees. Why won't you speak where I happen to be… silent in the trees, standing cowardly. I can feel your breath, I can feel mine then. I want to know you… I want to see… I want to say… hello… hello… hello… hello_." He saw the tears forming in her eyes and he knew he was reaching her. He took her right hand in his left and brushed his thumb softly over her skin. She felt his emotion in her soul and she'd never felt anything like it before. He sang the words again, changing the pitch in some of them the second time around.

The students clapped for him and he pulled Tori into an embrace. Jenna snapped pictures of them on her phone and texted them to Tori. They walked off stage and the DJ played dance music.

"Do you think we could go somewhere and talk?" she asked Tyler.

"Yeah, of course. Lemme just tell Josh." Tyler walked away and Jenna bounded up to her.

"Tori!"

"Yeah?"

"Are you gonna tell him?!"

"Tell him what?"

"How you feel about him?"

"Yeah. My hands are shaking," she laughed.

"It's gonna be great. I'm so happy for you!" He came back and took her hand. They walked toward the exit and he opened the door for her.

"Dude! That was awesome!" another student called after him.

"Thanks! So… you wanna sit down somewhere?"

"No." They stood on the sidewalk but out of other people's way.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She smiled but fidgeted nervously with her hands. "Okay, first of all… your songs are incredible and your voice is so beautiful and your face is so beautiful," she babbled. "You're so talented and sweet…"

"What are you trying to say, Tori," he chuckled.

"How can I tell you I'm in love with you without scaring you away?" Looking into his brown eyes, she waited for a response.

"You just did." Taking her into his arms, he pressed his soft lips to hers. Feeling more love than she ever had in her life, she relished their first kiss. They pulled back to look at one another and smiles spread across both of their faces. "I loved you the minute I heard you humming a line from my song. I saw you sitting there in the trees… I saw you interact with the deer… I knew you were special. I knew you were nothing like what other people saw you as."

"You saw _me_."

" _I see you_. And I'm in love with you too. I've never felt this way… the way I feel when I'm with you…"

"I wanna be with you, Tyler."

"I want that too… Listen, I don't want this to sound like I expect anything or like I'm gonna rush you into anything and _nothing_ has to happen… but my mom is out of town until Sunday morning… and you're welcome to spend any amount of time you want at my house. I would love to just be alone with you… And again, _no_ expectations."

"Are you sure it's okay?" He smiled and nodded. "I wanna stay with you."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Okay… well, since this is my first school dance maybe we should go in and dance? We can head home soon… or whenever you want."

"Sounds perfect, Tyler." They walked back inside hand in hand and soon found their friends.

None of the kids that Tori had worried about had harassed her or Tyler that night. They had a great time hanging out with their friends and dancing to all kinds of music. The newly formed couple said goodnight and headed to his house around 10:45. She parked in his garage then headed into the house with him. He gave her a pair of sweats and a tee shirt to change into while he put on comfier clothes in the bathroom. They met downstairs in the living room to watch a movie.

"You want a glass of wine?"

"Won't your mom notice?"

"Nah. I stashed a bottle a long time ago when she had a big dinner party. Thought it might be cool to have for a special occasion sometime."

"Is this a special occasion?" she smiled up at him from the couch.

"Yes it is." He leaned down to kiss her before going into the kitchen to grab two glasses.


	5. Chapter 5

**CAUTION: VERY strong sexual content!**

**** Saturday 11/5 ****

Once the movie was over, Tyler double checked to make sure the doors were locked before he and Tori headed upstairs to bed. Both were nervous as they weren't quite sure what to expect at this point.

"My bed's pretty comfy… and I put clean sheets on yesterday."

"Great," she smiled over at him.

"Are you tired?"

"I don't know… kinda… but really wired too."

"Me too," he chuckled.

"Can we talk about this?"

"Yeah. I wanna talk about everything with you." She smiled and walked to his side of the bed. They sat down facing each other.

"Okay… so I'm really nervous," she admitted.

"I wanna tell you again that there is no pressure here to do anything you aren't ready for or don't wanna do."

"I know, Tyler. I _want to_ be with you… but like you already know, I'm a virgin. So I don't know what I'm doing."

"I've never done this before either."

"You haven't?"

"You seem surprised."

"It's just that you're such an awesome guy and you're so sweet and so damn cute." She blushed and he smiled. "I love your face like I love everything else I know about you. I can't wait to learn everything about you, Tyler."

"Likewise… So we'll figure out how to do this together. Right?" She nodded. "You're sure you want this?"

"I _want to_ make love with you, Tyler. _I love you_."

"I love you too… Um… I don't have condoms…"

"I don't have any either but I've been on birth control for over a year…"

"Okay." He stood up and pulled her up with him, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her deeply. He pulled his tee shirt off of her, exposing her lacy black bra. She closed her eyes as he pressed his lips to her neck. It took him a minute to unhook her bra but she didn't notice. Kissing her neck and chest, he forced a thousand goose bumps to scatter across her skin. Slipping the straps down her arms, he looked into her eyes trying to keep her calm. He knew she was scared and he was too. Feeling the need to take his focus off of her for a second, she pulled his shirt off and tossed it aside.

"Where'd you get all the tattoos? Aren't you underage?"

"I'm 17… and my cousin is an artist. He practiced on me."

"Remember when we were all soaking wet and you took your shirt off?"

"Yeah."

"I couldn't help but check you out. Everything about you is beautiful, Tyler." She leaned into kiss him and ran her fingernails lightly down his back. Reaching for his belt, she unbuckled it. Her fingers fumbled with the button and zipper on his jeans as she nervously undid them. The closer to nude they became, the more heated their kisses grew to be. Tori sat down on the edge of his bed and reached for the waistband of his pants. She slid them and his boxers down his legs and he stepped out of them. She'd been coerced into giving a blowjob once before so she'd seen a naked man before but never one that she cared about.

"Lie back," he instructed her. She did so and he relieved her of the sweats and her panties. "Are you still as nervous as I am?" She nodded, never averting her gaze from his. "You know I'd never hurt you right?"

"Yeah, not on purpose… but I know it's gonna hurt. Jenna told me."

"I will go as slow as you want. I will do whatever I can to make it hurt as little as possible."

"I know. I trust you, Tyler." Lying down beside her, he leaned over and kissed her. His soft fingertips wandered across her bare breasts… then down her abdomen… then between her thighs. A light moan escaped her lips as he gently touched her most sensitive spot. " _Tyler_ ," she spoke breathlessly.

"Does that feel good, Tori?" he whispered between nibbles on her right shoulder.

" _Yes_ … I want you inside me."

"Okay… remember, the pace is 100% up to you." She nodded and tried to prepare herself for however this was going to feel. Resting his body down onto hers, he took himself into his hand and guided himself into her. She tensed up and he stopped pushing.

"You alright?"

"Yeah," she chuckled with misty eyes. "Sorry, I'm just scared."

"Don't be sorry," he reassured her. " _Please_ don't be sorry…"

"Okay. I'm ready." He started again and this time got a little bit further but he stopped when she became rigid again. "I think I want you to just do it… okay?"

"Just fast?" She nodded emphatically.

"I won't hold the pain against you," she forced a smile.

"Are you sure baby?"

"Yes."

"Okay." He pushed past the point of resistance and her entire body tensed beneath him. Sucking in air through gritted teeth, she couldn't hide the fact that it was very painful. He felt awful for hurting her but he so desperately wanted to be _one_ with her. "Do you want me to stop?" _Please say no, please say no_ …

"No. Keep going..." He began moving within her and couldn't have described how incredible she felt. She held him tightly within her walls and he knew he wasn't going to last long.

" _Can I cum inside you_?" he panted against her ear.

"Yeah." Holding himself up on his hands, he looked down into her eyes as he made love to her. It was just a few seconds more before he released himself into her. He laid down onto her and stopped moving. His breath washed over her as she held him against her. They laid together quietly for a few minutes before he spoke.

"I can't even express how amazing that felt. I wish I didn't hurt you."

"Next time it won't hurt at all." She smiled and reassured him. "There is no one else I'd ever wanna do that with, Tyler."

"God, I love you so much Tori…"

"I love you too."

**** Still Sat 11/5 ****

After showering together at 2:30 in the morning, Tori and Tyler climbed into his bed together and soon fell asleep. Later Saturday morning, he woke up first and went downstairs to get something to eat. When he returned to his room, she was awake and smiling over at him.

"I like your outfit," she grinned as he donned only his black boxer-briefs.

"Thanks," he winked at her. "I made you a bagel. Sit up."

"You made me breakfast in bed?" He nodded proudly and she nearly melted. He sat down beside her and handed it to her. She kissed him in thanks.

"What do you wanna do today?" She shrugged while chewing the first bite of breakfast.

"I dunno… eat this bagel?" He suddenly wondered if it was too much that he was assuming she'd want to spend the day with him.

"Okay. Well, I mean no pressure if you have stuff to do today or whatever…"

"Whatever you wanna do is cool. I don't care."

"You don't have to get home or anything?"

"Do you want me to go?"

"No! Not at all! I just didn't want you to feel like you have to stay if you have other stuff going on. I would love for you to stay… all day… and overnight?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Awesome! Oh, Josh is coming over later to practice… hope that's cool."

"Yeah. I love listening to you guys play. I just hope it's cool with _him_ that _I'm_ here too." As if Josh knew he was being spoken of, Tyler's phone rang with his call.

"Hey Josh."

"Oh good, you're up!"

"Yep."

"So… what happened last night?! I'm dying to know!"

"Well," Tyler chuckled. "Tori's right here…"

"So you can't dish on the details, huh? Maybe later… Anyway, do you remember Jamie Johnston from freshman year? She moved to Cleveland with her mom?"

"Oh yeah. What about her?"

"She's back! She moved back in with her dad and I saw her last night at the dance. She's starting back at our school on Monday!"

"Cool! So… do you guys still like each other then?"

"Oh man… she's even cooler and prettier than she used to be. She's still pretty Goth and still plays violin and will be singing in the school chorus. I'm hoping we have at least one class together."

"So you obviously still like her!"

"Yeah," he admitted. "I invited her to come listen to us practice sometime… I hope that's cool."

"Yeah, totally. Oh, speaking of that… Tori will be here all day."

"Okay. Should we practice tomorrow instead?"

"No way, man! I'm feeling extra inspired and she said she loves listening to us play."

"Okay. Cool. I'll see you in like two hours then!"

"Later Josh." He hung up and turned to her. "He'll be here around 11:30ish."

"Cool."

"You done?" She nodded and handed him her empty plate.

"Thanks babe."

"You're welcome." After leaning over to kiss her, he pulled her close and held his phone up in front of them. "Selfie time?"

"Okay," she laughed. "Never taken a naked selfie! Make sure you only get above nipples and up!"

"I will," he laughed. He took a few pix of them and texted a couple of them to her. She grabbed her phone from her purse next to his bed and posted two of them to Facebook. "Are you friends with all the girls that hate me on Facebook?"

"They don't hate you… they're just stupid."

"Won't they see the pictures and harass you about them?"

"I don't care, Tyler… do you?"

"I don't care what they say to _me_ but I don't want them to give _you_ a hard time." He grasped her hand and she smiled lovingly at him.

"It's really sweet that you care about me that much."

"I love you, Tori. I don't want anyone to bug you because of me."

"I love you too." She leaned over him and set her phone on his night stand. "And I don't care what anybody says about us." Wrapping one arm around the back of his neck, she kissed him softly before whispering in his ear: " _I only care what you say… You're the only thing that matters to me, Tyler_." She coaxed him down onto his back and continued kissing him, her tongue sweeping over his. "Stay put." She smiled mischievously down at him. Reaching down into her purse, she grabbed a hair tie and pulled her hair back to keep it out of their faces. He put his hands behind his head and just watched her.

Straddling his upper thighs, she leaned down and planted kisses across his neck and chest. Slowly, Tori's lips moved down his flawless skin. Stopping to tease his nipples, she sucked on and gently nipped at his flesh. His chest heaved against her mouth as he watched her intently. Even last night was nothing compared to how turned on he was now. Moving further down his body, including his subtle "happy trail," she blazed a trail of kisses.

" _These have got to go_ ," she purred, hooking her fingertips into the waistband of his boxer-briefs. She got up long enough to relieve him of the one article of clothing standing between them. Climbing back onto the bed, she knelt between his legs. Taking his eager erection into her soft hand, she leaned down and took him into her mouth. Tyler closed his eyes and put his head back. She looked up at him with his eyes closed, his head back, his lips parted and his hands grasping the top of the headboard… _god damn he is sexy_ , she thought to herself.

The warmth of her mouth on his raging hard-on felt incredible. She seemed to expertly alternate between stroking him with her soft hand and sucking him in long strokes and doing both together. _This must be what heaven is like_ … Opening his eyes, he looked down at her. _Fuck, that looks hot… and feels even better_!

" _Tori_ ," he spoke breathlessly. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, continuing to stroke him with her hand. "Come up here." She crawled up over him and positioned herself atop him. Reaching down between them, she took him back into her hand and guided him into her. She sat straight up and began moving above him. He held up his hands to her and she interlaced her fingers with his. "It doesn't hurt anymore, right?"

"No, it feels good," she assured him. She pulled her hands out of his and placed them flush against his smooth chest. Cupping her breasts in his palms, he teased her nipples into firm peaks between his thumbs and middle fingers.

"Do you ever masturbate, Tori?"

"I have…"

"Touch yourself…" She wet her right middle finger in her mouth and reached down to do as requested. " _I want you to cum this time too_." The combination of having his hard cock inside her and her playing with herself pushed her to the edge. " _I can feel it, Tori… keep going_ …" She kept going and felt a wave of pleasure spread throughout her body from her core.

" _Tyler_ ," she spoke as her breaths deepened. He grasped her hips in his hands and slammed up into her, hard and fast. " _Fuck_ …" she moaned.

" _I'm gonna cum_ ," he panted.

" _Go baby_..." He held back a moment more to keep her cumming before he exploded inside her. She stopped moving and could feel him pulsating inside her.

"Come here." He pulled her down into a kiss then just held her body against his. After a minute, she pulled back just far enough to look into his eyes. She opened her mouth to say something but couldn't come up with the right words. He smiled at her silence and she couldn't help but smile back. He nodded, ending their silent conversation and she laid her head back down.


End file.
